


i think you're grand

by lehnshxrrs



Series: dumb stuff for alex [5]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, bei mir bist du schoen, gratituous mentions of swing music, jess and alex here u go chess board dancing, sorta modern idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 20:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2201721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lehnshxrrs/pseuds/lehnshxrrs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s old records in his father’s study, too, swing and classical and jazz and the genres in between. They’re all organized accordingly, and Charles is really content to spend time reorganizing the records so that he can put one on and read, curled up in the chair that faces both the chessboard and the door. </p><p>And then Erik Lehnsherr decides to stay with their mission, decides to come live at Xavier Mansion with the others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i think you're grand

**Author's Note:**

> accompanying mixtape: http://8tracks.com/diamondbucky/fancy-a-game

Charles has always been quite picky over details. The books in his library must be in alphabetical order, by subject, facing all the same way, pushed to the back of the bookcase. Before Raven and before Charles learned the wonders of genetics, his closet had been colour-coordinated. Even now, he pushes black shirts to the back and colours to the front, out of old habit. Charles only gets particular about his father’s old study these days, the chairs have to be in a certain place, the chessboard has to be turned so that the side with the scratches where Charles dropped it faces away from the north side of the room. There’s old records in his father’s study, too, swing and classical and jazz and the genres in between. They’re all organized accordingly, and Charles is really content to spend time reorganizing the records so that he can put one on and read, curled up in the chair that faces both the chessboard and the door.

And then Erik Lehnsherr decides to stay with their mission, decides to come live at Xavier Mansion with the others.

It’s not that Erik isn’t great, he is, he’s fascinating and wonderful and kind when he thinks no one can tell, and Charles is _not_ head-over-heels for someone who’s basically a stranger. He likes to think he’s a fair amount better at handling his feelings than that.

So when Erik first sits down in the chair across from Charles and spins the chessboard so that the white pieces are his, pulls his chair a out of its place and reaches to set his drink down on the floor behind him, Charles nearly has a coronary right there.

Erik beats him that night, with a little tilt of the lips and murmured, “You could’ve cheated, Charles.” Charles just nods a little, sips his drink and fakes a yawn, and very heroically tries to ignore the twitch that has set under his left eye. The next morning, Charles spends almost ten minutes just resetting the board, pushing Erik’s chair back into place and taking the glass Erik had forgotten. Charles straightens back up, Erik’s glass in hand, and sighs angrily when he notices that the records are pulled askew, like someone plucked one from the middle of the stack. Charles fixes the records and notices it’s an old classical record missing. This means it’s definitely not Sean, probably not Alex, maybe Hank, and probably Erik.

“Has anyone seen the record of The Nutcracker Suite?” Charles asks curiously later, when they’re all watching TV in the den. (Everyone with the exception of Charles, who is curled around a book, and Erik, who is cleaning his pistol. The pair share a vehement dislike of television, especially the reality shows everyone loves so much.) When everyone shrugs, Charles frowns and looks back to his book.

“Oh, Charles, you don’t even listen to half those records anymore.” Raven sighs, eyes not turning from the television. “Besides, they’re _records._ If you’re going to be an old-timer, at least upgrade to mixtapes or something.” And that’s true, Charles supposes, but he’s never going to be able to catch the songs he wants on the radio in order to record a mixtape, and even if he could figure out where Alex gets all his free music, he’s almost entirely sure it’s illegal to download from the internet. Besides, mixtapes are tiny and only hold so much, and Charles loathes the idea of those tiny cases toppling from the shelf every time someone breathes in their direction. For now, Charles lets the record slip his mind, instead delving back into his book.

It’ll turn up eventually.

The next night, Charles asks Erik for a rematch at chess, very determinately ignoring how Erik spins the board around and pulls himself close enough that even though the pieces are ringed in decorative metal, he can lean slightly forward and take Charles’ king by hand.

“Honestly, Charles, if I knew you were this easy to beat, I would’ve taught you to play.” Erik teases, and Charles frowns, resetting the board.

“Rematch.” He demands, sitting back and crossing his arms, waiting for Erik’s response. The German’s lip tilt again, trying very hard not to smile.

“Changing the pieces you possess will not change the outcome, Charles.” Erik reminds him, and when Charles rolls his eyes, Erik actually grins, showing his teeth. Charles is _not_ going to swoon over that little victory. He’s not. “Get ready to lose again.”

“I doubt I will.” Charles says, moving his pawn. This game is hard fought, with long silences where the one waiting his turn watches the other try to make a decision on where to move. After Charles has spent a good three minutes debating if moving his knight into open territory is either suicide or magnificently clever, Erik gets up and ruffles through Charles’ record collection, nimbly dropping the needle on the very outside of the record.

Soft jazz rings through the room as Erik turns the volume just loud enough that it can be heard across the room but not loud enough that Raven will crash into the room complaining that Charles is secretly 82 years old and needs to find a newer genre to listen to. The song is Rhapsody in Blue, and Charles can’t help but smile a little as he decides finally to move his knight out.

“Do you mind?” Erik asks carefully, sitting back down, and when Charles looks up and shakes his head, Erik smiles again, not even hesitating to steal Charles’ knight. “Are you sure it isn’t distracting you?” He teases, placing the piece with his small pile. Charles is entirely sure that’s not what’s distracting him, but he just blushes and looks back to the board, folding himself close together, knees to his chest, as he moves a piece into check.

“I’m quite sure I’m winning on my own,” Charles answers, smiling innocently at Erik when he takes his king on the next move.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Erik starts, leaning forward and resetting the board. “If _you_ win again, I’ll give you the Nutcracker record back,” Charles opens his mouth to accuse Erik of holding his record hostage but Erik talks over him. “But if _I_ win, I get a dance.” Erik finishes the sentence looking right at Charles, all confidence and his face betraying no emotion over basically telling Charles he wanted to _dance_ with him to old swing music. Charles is very, very honestly the definition of the colour red.

“Deal.” Charles manages to get out, foolishly moving a pawn out for Erik’s taking.

The game is over in an embarrassingly small amount of time, and when Erik stands with a hand out to Charles, Charles flushes pink. The record, however, has other ideas, and clicks off to be flipped, and Erik pulls Charles up and flips the record. The needle drops after Erik is back in Charles’ space, a hand warm on Charles’ hip. The song is not particularly fast, but Erik leads them in slow spirals, chest to chest. Charles stares very determinately at his hand on Erik’s shoulder and tries not to turn the shades of pink and red he can feel spreading down his neck. After a second, Charles realises Erik’s mumbling the words along to the song.

“Bei mir bist du schoen means I think you’re grand,” Erik murmurs, mouth close to Charles’ ear, turning again.  The song is close to ending now, but Erik doesn’t seem to notice, continuing to mumblr in Charles’ ear. “I could say 'bello, bello', even 'sehr wunderbar', each language only helps me tell you how grand you are” Another spiral and they’re next to the chess table again.

“I've tried to explain 'bei mir bist du schoen’, so kiss me and say that you’ll understand.” And that’s it, the song is over, but Erik’s hand doesn’t uncurl from around Charles’ hip. Charles looks up at Erik who is looking at him thoughtfully, reverently, like Charles is the most wonderful thing he’s ever had the chance to see. Erik’s hand that has been tangled with Charles’ pulls free, and Charles thinks that’s it, Erik will pull away now and pretend this didn’t happen, but then Erik’s fingers spread across Charles’ jaw, curling around it.

“Bei mir bist du schoen,” Erik says softly, thumb tracing a line across Charles’ cheekbone before dipping and pressing their mouths together.

Charles remembers a lot of things about the first time they kissed, he remembers sighing into Erik’s mouth; he remembers Erik’s palm sliding to his lower back to pull him close, he remembers the record starting to play Benny Goodman, he remembers Erik pulling back and smiling; he remembers dancing again, and again until the record clicked off and then dancing again. He remembers tucking his head into Erik’s shoulder as they spun slowly around the room, beat of the music be damned. He remembers tugging Erik by the wrist to sleep in his room with him that night, waking up with Erik breathing slow behind him, a hand on his hip; he remembers smiling. Erik cups his jaw again in the morning and kisses him soft, the same as the night before. Charles smiles into the kiss and when they pull apart, he knows what he wants to tell Erik.

  
“If this is what I get for losing, you can keep the Nutcracker Suite.”

**Author's Note:**

> so basically i decided that erik dances with charles after chess matches
> 
> the end


End file.
